As the number of broadcasters increase and the number of new and rerun television (TV) programs and movies increase, a need arises for a method to provide this increasing amount of information to a viewer electronically. Conventional televisions and broadcasters utilize a feature referred to as an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) to communicate a schedule of upcoming television or movie programs to a viewer via a television screen.
Referring to prior art FIG. 1A, a table 120 of a conventional block of data for an EPG is shown. The table 120 has a top column of time 124 and a vertical column for channel 122. Program information, e.g. program A info. 128a, falls under a specific time, e.g. 9:00 a.m. on week 1 124a, and under a specific broadcaster, e.g. ABC 122a, or media provider, e.g. Gemstar. Specifically, table 120 can span a wide range of time 126, such as one to two weeks of programming information. Similarly, the number of broadcasters 129 displayed can vary significantly. That is, programming information for either a single broadcaster, e.g. ABC 122a, or for multiple broadcasters, e.g. ABC 122a through PAX 122f, can be provided by a carrier.
The block of data is stored in a memory block of the display device, e.g. a television set. Because the entire block of data cannot be displayed at one time, due to the limited size of a television screen and the extreme size of the amount of data in the EPG, a need arises for a method and apparatus to intelligently select and format a suitable amount of data from the block of EPG data to display on the display device.
Conventionally, only a one hour block of EPG scheduling, e.g. block 130 of prior art FIG. 1A, is typically presented on a display device, such as a television screen. This is a very limited span of time for a viewer to plan a viewing schedule. Consequently, a need arises for displaying a wider range of information of the EPG.
Referring to prior art FIG. 1B, a conventional analog television screen and a conventional digital television screen are shown. The conventional analog television screen 102, having a matrix of pixels 106, has a height 103 and a width 104. The relationship between the width 104 and the height 103 of a display is referred to as an aspect ratio (AR). In the case of a conventional analog television set, the AR is standardized at 4:3. This 4:3 AR is the primary reason for the standardized one-hour EPG scheduling block provided on a television screen. However, with the introduction digital television, ARs different from the standardized 4:3 AR have arisen. For example, digital television 104, having a matrix of pixels 108, has a height 109 and a width 116. The corresponding AR of a typical digital television 104 is 16:9. That is, a typical digital television is wider than a conventional analog television. Thus, a need arises for a method and apparatus to provide a wider format of EPG information to a display device.
Unfortunately, a wider format of EPG cannot be used on conventional analog television sets. But if a wider EPG table is displayed on a conventional analog television, it may not be readable because it will be too compressed in the narrower horizontal direction of the conventional display. Conventional analog sets will still be in use when digital television is implemented as the broadcast standard. That is, set-top boxes will be used to provide tuning to both digital and analog television sets. Consequently, broadcasting a standardized EPG display format will not be compatible to both analog and digital television displays. The displayed EPG data will either be too wide for a conventional display device or too narrow for a digital display device. As a result, a need arises for a more flexible method of providing EPG data to a display device.
Furthermore, other display characteristics of a display device can have an effect on how much data from a large block of data can be displayed. For example, display device characteristics, such as resolution and size of the display to name a few, can have an effect on how much data can readably be displayed on the display device. Consequently, a more effective method for displaying EPG information on a display device is needed.